CHANGE LANGUAGE

Israel launches major military operation in West Bank amid rising tensions, international accusations

The Israeli military launches large-scale raids in the West Bank to destroy explosives labs and arrest terrorists, while the UN and US criticize the actions. Hamas threatens new suicide attacks.

Israel launches major military operation in West Bank amid rising tensions and international accusations.

A complex and extensive Israeli military operation in the West Bank, one of the largest in recent years, began on Tuesday night. The operation, which involved hundreds of soldiers supported by tanks and fighter jets, was triggered by a failed attack in Tel Aviv on August 18. A sophisticated eight-kilogram explosive device was supposed to explode in a synagogue south of the city during prayer time, but the attack failed because the detonator malfunctioned. The attacker, identified as Jaafar Mona of Nablus, was killed when the device exploded. The device had been assembled in the West Bank, a fact that accelerated the start of the Israeli military operation.

Israeli forces have identified three main areas of operation in the West Bank: Jenin, Tulkarem and the Al Farah refugee camp near Tubas in the eastern part of the region. The primary objective of the operation, according to Israeli authorities, is to destroy explosives laboratories and disrupt the logistics chain that allows the production of explosive devices. In addition, the army intends to arrest and eliminate terrorists who, according to Israel, are trying to extend the conflict from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, following the directives of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza. Analysts note that this operation has similarities with the preventive strike conducted in Lebanon the previous Sunday, which also aimed to destroy weapons and neutralize terrorists planning attacks against Israel.

Israele lancia una vasta operazione militare in Cisgiordania tra tensioni crescenti e accuse internazionali

The situation on the ground is extremely tense. Palestinian sources report that the Israeli operation has seen intense military activity in Jenin, supported by an air strike that hit areas near the villages of Sir and Misilyah. The armed wing of Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority President Abu Mazen, has said it is taking part in the fighting, launching bombs at Israeli troops. Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group that like Hamas has strengthened its presence in the northern West Bank in recent years, also issued a statement calling it an “open war.” Hamas, for its part, has accused Israel of pursuing a “broader plan to expand the war in Gaza” to the West Bank.

Israele lancia una vasta operazione militare in Cisgiordania tra tensioni crescenti e accuse internazionali

Despite the gravity of the situation, no official evacuation announcement has been made by the Israeli army. However, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces ordered residents of the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem, to evacuate the area, and imposed a curfew in eastern Jenin, preventing residents from leaving their homes. In parallel, extensive searches of homes and questioning of residents have been launched, while hospitals in Jenin and Tulkarem have been surrounded by Israeli troops, who according to some sources are ready to storm the facilities. However, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has denied this intention, while maintaining the siege of the hospitals, claiming that "the enemy uses the hospitals to take refuge during clashes with our forces and we have evidence of this."

The international community has reacted with concern. The UN has declared that Israel’s operation in the West Bank violates international law and warned that it could further inflame an already highly explosive situation. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has published the results of an investigation into the attack by Israeli settlers on the Palestinian village of Jit, calling it a “terrorist act against Palestinian residents,” adding that the IDF failed to protect. The US response has been equally strong: new sanctions against Israeli settlers were announced in the evening, angering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israele lancia una vasta operazione militare in Cisgiordania tra tensioni crescenti e accuse internazionali

On the humanitarian front, a report emerged regarding the Gaza Strip: Israel has approved temporary humanitarian truces to facilitate polio vaccination for the local population. According to Channel 13, the decision was made at the request of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. However, the Israeli Prime Minister's office denied that it had authorized a full-fledged truce, although it confirmed that it had approved the designation of some areas in the Gaza Strip to allow for vaccinations, a decision that had the support of the security cabinet.

Meanwhile, tensions continue to rise with Hamas, through a senior official, Khaled Meshaal, announcing the resumption of suicide attacks in the West Bank. In a video address to a conference in Istanbul, Meshaal said: “We want to return to suicide operations. This is a situation that can only be addressed with open conflict.” He then called on all Palestinians to participate in what he called the “real resistance against the Zionist entity.”

In another worrying development, the Israeli military said it had discovered a hidden command room inside a mosque in the Fara refugee camp near Tubas in the West Bank. The room, according to the IDF, was used by terrorists to monitor Israeli forces using several surveillance cameras linked to television screens. The mosque, which was plastered with “martyrs” posters, was blown up by Israeli troops in the evening. Video taken by an Israeli drone shows the entrance to the mosque and equipment used to make explosive devices. Several triggered devices were found inside the mosque, confirming the presence of terrorist activity at the site.

This complex scenario, marked by large-scale military operations, growing tensions between Israel and Palestinian groups, and critical international reactions, continues to evolve in a worrying way, with the risk of a further escalation of the conflict in the region.

Follow La Milano on our Whatsapp channel

Reproduction reserved © Copyright La Milano

×